Toronto Public Library in Major Campaign To Revitalize Reference Library
$34 million (CAD) project has public, private support
Norman Oder -- Library Journal, 05/08/2009
- $3M gift will support event space
- $24M pledged by government
- Major changes planned for building
With a $3 million CAD ($2.6M USD) lead gift, the Toronto Public Library Foundation has launched re:vitalize 
– Toronto Reference Library Campaign, aiming to raise $10 million privately toward the $34 million ($29.5M USD) revamping of the Toronto Reference Library.
The campaign, which has raised $5.2 million already, is the foundation's first broad-based capital campaign in the 125-year history of TPL. The lead gift came from the Bluma Appel Community Trust, and will support the Bram and Bluma Appel Salon at the Toronto Reference Library, a new 16,800 square foot event space, to open in September 2009.
The project has $24 million in governmental support, with $14 million from the City of Toronto and $10 million from the Government of Ontario. (LJ wrote in 2003 about a more modest set of proposed renovations.)
Major changes
The building is more than 30 years old and no longer fully serves the users. The upgrades will include a new glass entrance cube, an expanded exhibition gallery, a new two-story rotunda to showcase special collections, expanded space for research and 140 new Internet workstations.
